A simple display of the time and date may not be enough for some people. With the latest Windows versions, you can add certain gadgets on your desktop, but they tend to make use of too many resources. Chronos Clock lets you place and customize one or more clocks on your desktop, set alarms, reminders, add countdown timers and more. It does not feature advanced graphics or animations, so you can use it at all times without affecting your performance.

It is possible to install the application on any Windows version, from Win 2000 to Win 7. You just have to download a 4.82 Mb installation kit and run it. The setup wizard will guide you through a series of options which involve clicking a few check boxes and setting a destination path.

After launching the application, the time, day of the week and date will be displayed in a small box with a colored background. You can add new clocks, timers and perform other actions in separate options windows. These can be brought up with context menu options, after right clicking the existing clock or the application's system tray icon. When adding a new clock, you may select a standard or custom format, select a background and a text color, name the clock and, of course, select a time zone. If you opt for a custom format, you can select a digital clock or analog ones, of various sizes and types.

Adding timers or making other configurations can be done in similar windows. Timers can be set to "ring" after a countdown or on a certain date. It is also possible to select one or more automatic actions, which will be performed when the timer reaches zero. In this way, the application can run a certain program, open a website, send an email, play a sound or a CD, notify you with a text or spoken message and more.

Chronos Clock can use Microsoft Speech for time announcements. The option can be enabled and configured in the application's general settings panel. You can set it to announce the time every hour, every few minutes or on demand. If you do not want to disturb your neighbors or roommates, you can set the narrator to whisper or stay silent on a given time interval.

Pros: Chronos Clock comes with a large array of tools which are flexible and very easy to configure. It synchronizes with various servers for an accurate time reading, it will notify you in more than one way and it can automatically perform certain actions.

Cons: Setting up an image as a clock's background would have been a welcomed feature.

You don't have to waste your time with stock tools. Chronos Clock will help you keep track of the time with great ease and comfort.